Cong not to take part in civic re-poll

Congress on Tuesday said it will not take part in any re-poll which will be ordered by the West Bengal State Election Commission following allegations of violence and irregularities in three civic bodies on Saturday.

“If the State Election Commission orders re-poll in any of the three civic bodies, Congress will not take part in it,” state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

“The atmosphere is not conducive for democratic exercise,” Chowdhury, also a former Union minister, said here in Murshidabad district.

The State Election Commission last night said re-poll will be held in some booths of Bidhannagar and Asansol Corporations and Bally in Howrah. The SEC has suspended counting of votes in the three civic bodies following allegations of large-scale violence. “It is a farce, not an election,” he said.